


Under pressure

by edourado



Series: Hell's Kitchen Chronicles [103]
Category: The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Ficlet, Fluff, Massage, kastle - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2018-01-22
Packaged: 2019-03-08 08:31:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13454421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edourado/pseuds/edourado
Summary: Frank gives Karen a massage





	Under pressure

**Author's Note:**

> I'm working on writing smaller things

This is definitely not good.

It feels - and she should have know, really - amazing, his fingers squeezing and releasing the tight  muscles on her shoulders, warm palm rubbing her skin, and she can feel the tension melting away slowly. But it is not good that it feels this good. It shouldn’t.

“The weather is shit”, he said while she tried to connect her computer to the wifi. “I bet you won’t be able to even walk out of the building tomorrow, let alone go to work.”

“Don’t say that”, she said, trying to sound normal, while his hand slide from one shoulder to the other. “I have so much shit to do tomorrow.”

“Well. Get used to the idea that you won’t be able to. Look at this mess outside.”

He was right, of course. The snow storm hit like it’s mad at New York, she could barely see the other side of the street from the window.

Still. She needed to work.

“Karen”, he called when she huffed and slapped a hand on the computer. “It’s useless.”

“Frank”, she sighed, shutting the computer off so she could turn it back on. Maybe restarting it would make it connect. “I have an article to finish, I can’t just sit here-”

“That’s exactly what you’re gonna do. The phones are down, you’re not gonna get steady internet while it snows this hard. We’re lucky we still have power.”

She felt something pleasant running down her back at the word “we”, like he lived here, like he wasn’t just a casual visitor that got trapped there while checking up on her. It could be, of course, the things his hand was doing, this improvised massage he started when she threw her phone on the couch in anger.

“Just sit still for a second”, he asked, his thumb pressing on the base of her neck, and she closed her eyes, managing to hold in a sigh when he moved her hair out of his way. “Doesn’t hurt.”

She sat there on the floor while he squeezed and squeezed, and sometimes he would press a little too hard, but she missed the pressure when he let go. Karen was grateful that he didn’t say anything when the first sigh escaped her, maybe chalking it up to too much stress.

“You gotta take it easy, y’know? You work too much.”

Her eyes closed, she smiled, feeling as if someone had poured something to make her sleep on her coffee.

“I have bills to pay, Frank.”

“Yeah, you and I both know it’s not about the bills.”

Chuckling, she moved her head to the right when his hand lifted from the middle of her back to press on her shoulder again.

“What is it about?”

“You tell me.”

Before she knew what was happening, she was being lifted off the floor, sucking in a startled breath, listening as Frank shushed her. She had fallen asleep while he worked on her, limbs feeling heavy and eyes unable to stay open.

Karen rested her head on his shoulder, her nose touching his neck while he walked.

Too soon, he was placing her on the bed and pulling her duvet over her body.

“I’m gonna make us some food”, he said, voice soft and low, and she hugged a pillow to her chest. “I’ll wake you when it’s ready.”

“No”, she said, even as she moved to make herself comfortable. “I have to work.”

“Yeah, sure thing.”

There was a pressure on her temple, and she realized he was placing a kiss on her head.

The only reason she didn’t turn around to catch that kiss with her lips was because she was already half asleep, and actually a little bit hungry.

So maybe after dinner.


End file.
